UPDATE (December 21) — Received another update from Prima this morning on Noel’s condition, which is improving (though she still has a long road ahead). More importantly was this note she added about the donations that poured in yesterday:

I would like to thank those of you who donated to help Noel. Thanks to you we can provide Noel with everything she needs, including the expensive medication, special shampoo, food, bedding and any additional vet care she needs. Her recovery will be much faster thanks to all your help.

Thank you all so much for your kindness and generosity; may you be blessed a thousand times over for helping save this poor creature.

_______________________

We adopted our (now) 11-month old Great Dane puppy, Bevo, when he was a just a skin-and-bones 4-month old/40 lb puppy from PAWS of Austin, which is our local Great Dane rescue.

How anybody can abuse and neglect these creatures is beyond my understanding.

The founder of PAWS, Prima Mosi, is one of the kindest and most compassionate people we have ever known. Her dedication to rescuing, healing, and finding homes for these gentle giants is astounding.

PAWS has recently taken in two very, very special needs Harlequin danes. The holidays are a time of giving and being thankful for all we have, to include our canine companions. PAWS could really use your donations now to help with the vet expenses of these two very special, abused, and neglected danes.

The first dog is Noel, who was rescued from a shelter in Garland, TX. As you can see from the pictures, she is in pretty bad shape. She is very young, but it looks like she’s been to hell and back. Her skin is raw and oozing blood. She also has bite wounds on her face and neck. She will need some major vet care to get better.

In the 7+ years I’ve written this blog, I’ve never once held a Bleg or asked for donations to help keep this site going. And I’m not going to do that now, either. But please read the rest of this post (which is difficult), and if you can spare a few dollars to donate to PAWS of Austin, I couldn’t thank you enough.

Here’s Prima’s report on her first 4 days trying to save this puppy:

Day1:

If this doesn’t break your heart, you probably don’t have one.

Noel did well last night. She got up at about midnight went out and finally peed and pooped. Then she went back to bed. In the morning she was a little more awake then she was yesterday. That is because she had a good night sleep on a soft bed in a warm house, probably for the first time in her life.

Early this morning we went out and she peed again. She got her meds and ate breakfast. She is now back in her bed. The bedding has to be changed often because she is oozing blood. So far I used 3 dog beds, 2 comforters and 11 towels. I will be going to Goodwill later this afternoon to buy more comforters. We’ll also need to get more dog beds, because the beds are soaked with blood and they will need to be tossed out. The smell is pretty bad too.

Our vet has called the Central Texas Specialty Hospital to make an appointment with the dermatologist. Because this dog is so raw, it may be difficult to do extensive skin testing, but I’m sure the vets will do whatever she can to make sure we address everything that she has and whatever she needs. We also have to wait on the HW test until the vet can get to her vain.

Noel is so exhausted, she is sleeping most of the day, except for when she is up to eat. She has ok appetite. She loves the bologna sandwiches.

Day 2:

Gave Noel another medicated bath. I tried to get as many scabs off as I could. It was disgusting. The water in the tub was so bloody and I was standing in the middle of it. I don’t get sick to my stomach very often, but that was one of those times. Glad I didn’t have anything to eat that morning. Noel just stood there and let me wash her. She is such a good girl. Getting her out of the tub was a challenge. This is one of those times when I wished I had some help here, but it was just the two of us. Had to be very careful when I wiped her down. I could now see the severity of the wounds on her skin. They were very deep.

I decided to take Noel back to the vet to be checked again because now the vet could see the wounds better. Also, needed to do some tests. Because Noel had hard time walking, we decided to leave her in the van and check her in there. The vet tech and Dr. Mockler came to the car. The vet tech had hard time getting a vain, but Dr. Mockler managed to draw blood. We tested for Lyme, Ehrlicia, Anaplasma and Heartworms. The good news, all are negative. Yay!!

We’re still dealing with lots and lots of Mange mites and a bad Staph infection. She also has an eye infection. In addition, the vet noticed scratches and wounds that may have been cause by possibly a car accident. It kind of looks like she’s been dragged on the road. Dr. Mockler suggested that we leave the wounds open, so they could drain, but she may have to suture them later.

The vet gave us some Previcox to help with the pain and inflammation. The vet receptionist went and got us some more comforters.

Overall Noel is doing well. She is laying on the dog bed, covered with a clean comforter, enjoying her high protein meal and bologna sandwiches.

Day 3:

A few dollars will go a long way to helping Noel make a full recovery.

Noel is definitely doing better today. She is much more awake. I also noticed that her legs are less swollen, although they still look pretty bad. Later in the day I went to check on her and she was not on her bed. Took me a second to see her. She was laying on the couch. Yes, she is a true Dane.

Later in the evening we sat in the TV room and Noel decided to join us. She definitely wants to stay close. She comes close to get petted. Unfortunately we can only pet her on the head because that is the only place that is not bleeding. She really enjoys getting petted.

Day 4:

This morning the picture was not very pretty. She is oozing blood from everywhere, neck, legs, hips and underarms. It is everywhere. Looks like I murdered someone in my living room. The smell is better though. Not as stinky. She will get another bath later today to wash the blood off. Of course, as soon as she stands up, she bleeds again. We are constantly changing the bedding because it is soaked with blood. Good thing we just bought a new washing machine.

She is now back on the couch, sleeping. I’m waiting for the sun to come out, so we can go out to enjoy the warm sun outside. It is good for her. Then, it’s bath time.

I am so glad we rescued this girl. Can’t wait until she looks better. She will be gorgeous and I love her personality. I just feel so bad for her because she looks so miserable right now. But not to worry, I can already see a difference.

The other dane is Dolly, who was found on the streets near a Dollar General store in Brownsville, TX. She was extremely emaciated, only 63 lbs when found and has numerous health issues, including heart worms.

_______________

When I read this email from Prima this morning at my desk, my heart was broken. Thinking about our Great Danes and their amazing capacity for love and loyalty, and how sensitive they can be…makes trying to comprehend how horrible this dog’s life has been too much to bear. We’ve already sent a large donation to PAWS and are taking over two extra (and extra large) dog beds that we are no longer using this evening.

Please consider making a year-end tax-deductible donation to PAWS of Austin if you can.

Casper, a 9-month-old Boxer when found, weighed only 32 pounds when he should have weighed 60-80 pounds. He’d had no water for at least three days based on a vet’s testimony and the starvation had been ongoing, he also had skin problems.

Charged with felony animal cruelty, Fernandez and Rodriguez said they didn’t have any money, they said they fed Casper twice a day but because of some mysterious illness he kept losing weight, they said he kept turning his water bowl over which is why he was dehydrated to near death, they said they tried to treat his skin problems with OTC shampoos and treatments, they said they were loving pet parents.

This story and the related posts here are only the tiniest fraction of the abuse to animals that is everywhere. It is our duty as loving human beings and fellow creatures created by God to stand up for them… and to do so proactively!! We need to change the laws everywhere and increase the penalties for animal abuse. But before it even gets there, like with child abuse or any abuse, we need to intercede as soon as we have the slightest incling that there could be a problem. Better a false report and dropped charges than a ongoing abuse!! And for me, if I see actual abuse, not that I recommend this, I go over there and stand up to the abuse or rescue the abused myself if I witness a problem.

Each one of us needs to follow out conscience! We also need to change the ridiculous restrictive laws of only one or two pets allowed… especially in todays environment. We need to stop euthenizing animals that are healthy and either take care of them in decent facilities and allow willing pet parents to Adopt Just One (or Two More Pets). Nobody is advocating the hoarding of pets and animals!! But for those that love pets, taking care of 3, 4 or 5 pets is a blessing, not a burden and completely doable!

Save a Life…Adopt Just One More…Pet!

Everyday we read or hear another story about pets and other animals being abandoned in record numbers while at the same time we regularly hear about crazy new rules and laws being passed limiting the amount of pets that people may have, even down to one or two… or worse yet, none.

Nobody is promoting hoarding pets or animals, but at a time when there are more pets and animals of all types being abandoned or being taken to shelters already bursting at the seams, there is nothing crazier than legislating away the ability of willing adoptive families to take in just one more pet!!

Our goal is to raise awareness and help find homes for all pets and animals that need one by helping to match them with loving families and positive situations. Our goal is also to help fight the trend of unfavorable legislation and rules in an attempt to stop unnecessary Euthenization!!

“All over the world, major universities are researching the therapeutic value of pets in our society and the number of hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and mental institutions which are employing full-time pet therapists and animals is increasing daily.” ~ Betty White, American Actress, Animal Activist, and Author of Pet Love

There is always room for Just One More Pet. So if you have room in your home and room in your heart… Adopt Just One More! If you live in an area that promotes unreasonable limitations on pets… fight the good fight and help change the rules and legislation…

Save the Life of Just One More…Animal!

Recent and Seasonal Shots

As I have been fighting Cancer… A battle I am gratefully winning, my furkids have not left my side. They have been a large part of my recovery!! Ask Marion

Photos by the UCLA Shutterbug are protected by copyright, Please email at JustOneMorePet@gmail.com or find us on twitter @JustOneMorePet for permission to duplicate for commerical purposes or to purchase photos.

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Great Book for Children and Pet Lovers… And a Perfect Holiday Gift

One More Pet
Emily loves animals so much that she can’t resist bringing them home. When a local farmer feels under the weather, she is only too eager to “feed the lambs, milk the cows and brush the rams.” The farmer is so grateful for Emily’s help that he gives her a giant egg... Can you guess what happens after that? The rhythmic verse begs to be read aloud, and the lively pictures will delight children as they watch Emily’s collection of pets get bigger and bigger.

If You Were Stranded On An Island…

A recent national survey revealed just how much Americans love their companion animals. When respondents were asked whether they’d like to spend life stranded on a deserted island with either their spouse or their pet, over 60% said they would prefer their dog or cat for companionship!